


A conversation I will never have

by ceria



Category: The Avengers (2012)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-07-01
Updated: 2012-07-01
Packaged: 2017-11-08 23:01:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 785
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/448506
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ceria/pseuds/ceria
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Nick Fury gives a pep talk.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A conversation I will never have

**Author's Note:**

> Written for [ this prompt ](http://avengerkink.livejournal.com/4305.html?thread=2688465) at Avengerkink. (Coulson never seems to have luck with relationships and got his heart broken more than once. Fury, seeing Hawkeye constantly flirting with Coulson, decides to give him the "hurt him and I'll make /you/ wear the eye patch" talk.)

It's dark but Clint has never needed light to know exactly where everything in his barracks is located. God, all he wants is his bunk and the lube and… 

Something is on the ground; he brushes against it with his bare foot and it's nothing _he_ left out. Falling into stillness is easy for him – it only takes six seconds to realize that he's not alone and that someone is, very quietly, waiting in the dark near his bed. 

For half a second, he dreams it's Phil. Maybe he finally gave in to the tension between them that he pretends doesn't exist. It's possible he decided to stop being a tease and start being exactly what Clint wants.

Yeah, Clint knows that's only a dream. He backtracks silently to the door, holding two throwing knives before he flips on the light to find Fury sitting on his bed, arms crossed behind his head, feet propped up on the mattress – actually, on the pillow. 

"Can I help you, sir?"

"Yes," Fury says, not moving. Actually, it looks like he's digging his dirty boots a little more comfortably into Clint's pillow. "I'm going to tell you about a conversation that I never plan to have."

"Okay?" Clint says because this is his boss and Fury's never been unhinged. He's pretty sure this will make sense if he just shuts up and listens. "I would like to hear that."

"No, you really wouldn't," Fury tells him and Clint is confused. Instead of telling Fury this, Clint yanks the rolling stool out from under his desk and sits down, waiting.

"Over the years, I've had exactly four conversations with a mutual friend of ours. Every time we've had this conversation, I've offered to make things better and exact a little revenge but our friend has refused."

Clint is pretty sure this conversation involves Coulson. Fury is only menacing when it involves people he really cares for.

Clint always thought he was on that short list.

"The first conversation involved a bastard named David and it happened ten years ago. The second conversation involved Marsha and I was kind of glad for that one. The third took place in the hospital concerning Nathan and the last one, which was _eight months_ ago, took place in George's bar. That one pissed me off. Do you know why?"

"No, Sir." Though he sort of does know; he'd met George twice and George really hadn't liked Clint. Mostly because it only took him five minutes to realize that he and Clint were in love with the same man. 

"I liked George. He was stable and smart and patient and very unlike the other three idiots who walked away from a good thing."

"I don't plan on walking away, Sir."

"Oh, I know you won't - which is why I'm telling you now about a conversation I never plan to have."

He waits, because Fury acts like he wants to tell this story in his own way and damn it, Clint's patient when things are important.

"If I ever have to sit down with Phil again and listen to him recite what went wrong, or let him ask, one more time, what he could have done better…" Fury sighs and drops his boots to the ground, leaning in to stare at Clint. "If he ever comes to me with story number five, I'm going to break my promise."

"What promise, Sir?"

"I couldn't touch the first four, Barton. They were civilians and didn't work for me. Hell, only George ever met me. But I can ruin you. I'll make it so you will never work again." He touches his eye patch and makes it perfectly clear that Clint won't have eyes left to be a sniper. "Matter of fact, if you break Phil Coulson's heart, it better be because you die." 

"I really like the phrase 'till death do us part," Clint admits and meets Fury's gaze, his expression as steady as his aim. What he feels for Phil isn't new or even temporary. And he suspects that Phil feels the same way about him; it's buried in every small smile and light touch they share, it's caught up in the drinks they sometimes have after a bad mission or the dinners out they suddenly started doing last month. 

Clint thinks Phil's willing to finally accept an official date. He doesn't mind Fury being here and he's pretty sure Phil doesn't know about this talk – this is much more Fury's style. Phil's worth it and if Fury thinks Clint is worth the threats… yeah, he can live with that.

"Don't let him down, Barton."

Never, Clint thinks. "I promise you'll never have that conversation, Sir."


End file.
